Compiled for the LCLD Board of Directors every Wednesday, this digest is designed to brief you on the latest headlines about LCLD Members and organizations, as well as thought-provoking articles on diversity in the legal profession, talent development, mentoring, and leadership. Past issues of the Digest are also archived on the LCLD web site.
If you have questions about the Digest, articles you'd like to share, of if you would like to subscribe, please email Caitlin Puffenberger at cpuffenberger@lcldnet.com.
1. The Current State of D&I: A Conversation with the Legal Profession
CLEO Edge Magazine, Winter 2017
LCLD President Robert Grey partnered with the Council on Legal Education Opportunity to interview LCLD Fellows and others on diversity in the profession as CLEO approaches its 50th anniversary. Fellows Darwin Conner, Cecilly Shelton, and Tienne Anderson shared their thoughts on how diversity has changed since they began practicing, differences in how junior and senior lawyers view diversity, and what the next steps are. “It’s clear from the commentary above that today’s lawyers are anxious for change and willing and able to be trailblazers,” wrote Grey. “As CLEO has been doing for nearly 50 years – and LCLD has for seven – empowering these talented attorneys is an important part of the solution.”
2. Corporate Equality Index 2017
Human Rights Campaign, 12/5/16
This year, 141 LCLD Member organizations received perfect scores on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. CEI rates Fortune 1000 companies and AmLaw 200 law firms on how well they protect and support their LGBT employees. This year, the legal industry had a higher number of firms receiving perfect scores than any other industry. The report also found evidence of wide-scale adoption of transgender-inclusive initiatives.
3. Fortune Best Workplaces for Diversity
Fortune and Great Place to Work, 12/5/16
LCLD Member organizations Capital One Financial Corp.; Alston & Bird LLP; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP; AT&T; and Nationwide Mutual Insurance were among the top 50 companies for workplace diversity on Fortune’s 2016 list. “Rankings take into account how favorably women, minorities, and LGBTQ employees experience their workplace relative to their male, Caucasian and heterosexual colleagues' experiences; as well as the degree of representation women and minorities enjoy within the workforce as a whole, management, and executive roles.”
4. The Real Secret to Asian American Success Was Not Education
The Washington Post, 11/19/16
Beginning in the 1960s, Asian Americans were often held up as the “model minority,” proof that “hard work and education lead to success no matter your skin color.” Yet the upward mobility of many Asian Americans isn’t explained solely by their emphasis on education, writes Jeff Guo; in many cases, prejudices against Asian Americans were simply outweighed by prejudices against African Americans and Hispanics – resulting in increased opportunities for Asian Americans. If we believe that education alone will close racial wage gaps, we ignore impact of a lack of opportunity and the systemic issues that contribute to it.
